Are You Ready for College?

So you're at that stage in your life where you're considering college and thinking about
your future. But are you really ready to take that leap? Have you prepared enough? Take
this quiz to find out if you're truly fit to commit to your future!

1

When choosing your college the most important thing is:

A. How many parties they have on campus!

B. Does it offer a wide range of courses tailored to your future?

C. How close it is to home?

2

When thinking about applying to colleges you:

A. Will get round to them, there's plenty of time!

B. Have completed them but just want to double check before sending them.

C. Have written excellent applications, sent them off and are checking the mail every day!

3

When thinking about where you are going to live:

A. It doesn't matter – the closest place to all my new friends would be great!

B. You want to be as close to home as possible.

You want somewhere financially viable with good travel to links to college.

4

Your major is:

A. Not really important, you can change it after all!

B. Quite important because it will affect what you do for a job in the future.

C. Really important! You hope you've chosen the right one!

5

You usually study:

A. Study?...What's that?

B. When you need to - like before a big exam.

C. When are you not studying?

6

When thinking about what kind of job you would like to do in the future:

A. You don't know – you haven't thought that far ahead yet.

B. You have thought about it but are still unsure about your options for the future.

C. You have your dream job planned out and have chosen your courses accordingly!

7

You're invited to a party the night before a big exam. You:

A. Go to the party! You only live once!

B. Decide to study for an hour and then go to the party to relax.

C. Skip the party – you need to be fresh for the exam!

8

When planning your college interviews you:

A. Choose the coolest outfit!

B. Prepare answers to some key questions and practise.

C. Leave no stone unturned! There's nothing they could ask that you haven't thought of!

9

When considering your finances you think:

A. Money comes and goes – as long as you have enough money for those new jeans then that's fine!

B. You are worried about money and how you are going to manage it.

C. You have your budget worked out to the detail and will stick to it!

10

If you feel stressed and overwhelmed after starting college:

A. Stressed? Who, me?

B. You will talk to your friends and family to get some support.

C. You will keep it to yourself; you don't want anyone to think you're not managing by yourself!

11

When you move in to your dorm, you don't get on with your new room-mate
so you:

A. That wouldn't happen, everyone gets on with you!

B. Try to find some common ground and resolve your differences.

C. Don't speak to them! If they don't like you then you don't like them!

12

College will be a huge lifestyle change. The thought of this makes you:

A. Excited.

B. Apprehensive.

C. Raring to go.

13

College often means having to cook your own food! In preparation you:

A. Have gathered as many take-out menus as possible.

B. Have bought a college cookbook – you should be able to cook a few things out of there.

C. Have enrolled on a cooking course!

14

When writing a paper you:

A. Write the bare minimum – there's too much to do to waste time.

B. Research the question and write an informed paper to get the best grade you can.

C. Stay up all night reading several books before writing 3 pages over the word-count.

15

Your friends decide to skip class and invite you to join them, so you:

A. Go with them! Friends are more important than studying.

B. Say no but then worry all day if you made the right decision.

C. Say no, you didn't work this hard to get into college to skip class.

16

Someone gives you a web address to a site with pre-written papers for your course, so you:

A. Use it once or twice so you can go out with your friends instead of working.

B. Throw the web address away, you don't learn that way.

C. Immediately report the site to the college.

17

There are lots of extra-curricular activities at college:

A. You give them a miss – your courses are enough work already!

B. You take on one or two, being careful not to burn yourself out.

C. You do as many as you can! You're exhausted but your job applications will look better!

18

You get the flu whilst at college so you:

A. Miss class but still go to that party everyone's been talking about.

B. Take a few days off to rest and recover quickly – you can't work if you're sick.

C. Ignore it and continue going to class, you feel awful but college is more important.

19

The night before you're due to hand in a big paper your computer crashes
and loses the file so you:

A. Just hand it in late, it wasn't your fault!

B. Explain what happened to your lecturer and ask for an extension.

C. Stay up all night and re-write the paper- you can't hand in your work after the deadline!

20

After college you are thinking about

A. Woah! Hold on!

B. A job in the field I am studying.

C. A masters degree perhaps?

Let's see what you scored! Count up the number of A, B and C answers you scored and
read below to see how you did:

Mostly A:

You are excited for college but your priorities may need a rethink! You love to party and
socialising is very important to you. However, don't forget that you need to create a good
work-life balance otherwise you simply won't pass your courses! Thinking about your
future doesn't seem important right now and you would rather live in the moment. This can
be a good thing however it is also important to plan ahead. It might be worth seeking the
help of a guidance or careers counsellor to make sure you are on the right track with the
courses you choose. If you don't know what job you want to do right now then make sure
to choose a range of courses which give you options after you graduate.

Mostly B:

You are ready for college however there are a few doubts in your mind about your future and whether you are making the right options. Don't worry – this is completely normal and it is good that you are taking steps to make sure your future will be positive. You have a good work-life balance and understand the importance of independence and looking after yourself. Try not to worry too much and have confidence in your decisions; you are well-suited to college life as long as you remain calm and focussed.

Mostly C:

You are certainly ready for college and definitely ready to work hard, however, you are in real danger of burning yourself out. If you do not prioritise time to relax and unwind then you simply won't be able to focus on your studies. You will be exhausted. Try to take a step back and think about why you're going to college. You are not going there to be the best student there has ever been, you are going to give yourself an excellent future. However, if you don't take care of yourself then you can't possibly graduate! If you are ill, take time to recover and remember that if things go wrong, it is vital you seek the support and help of others.

Whichever category you fall into, remember that the key to being successful at college is remembering to work hard and give yourself some time to relax and socialise. Independence is important but it shows a sign of good character to know when to ask for help. Remember that the people around you are all going through the same things so take a deep breath and grab each opportunity with both hands.

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Meet The Team

Kristy Feldman (Senior Editor)
Kristy studied economics at McGill University and then got her masters in Journalism from UC Berkley.Currently she is a freelance writer focusing on the college ranking and student loan industries.
Joe Kazan (Web Design & Marketing):
Joe is the man that makes the website run. He is also the face of the website with his natural interest in college rankings and student loans. He is the one who answers questions, comments and engages the community around OutstandingColleges.com
Prof. Mike King (Adviser / Contributor)
Mike is a retired college professor and administrator. He knows the admission and college ranking industry inside and out after 30 years in the industry.